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'Michigan's I HABITANT HERITA J i JOURNAL OF THE FRENCH-CANADIAN HERITAGE SOCIETY OF MICHIGAN Vol.5 #2 Apr.1984 SOME BIRTHS AND DEATHS RECORDED IN A FUR TRADER'S ACCOUNT BOOK John P. DuLong Many genealogical facts can be found in personal papers and family Bibles. The most interesting case of hidden information that I have come across can be seen in the account book of a French-Canadian fur trader. While working on the biography of Jean-Baptiste Cadotte I found that his son Michel kept a list of births and some deaths in the family's account book. Michel married Equaysayway, an Ojibway and the daughter of Chief White Crane. In the account book Michel kept record of the vital events in his own family. The "Cadotte Account Book, 1773-1798" is a manuscript now located in the University of Notre Dame Archives, South Bend, Indiana. The document lists the business transactions carried on by Jean-Baptiste and his sons. An English translation of this French manuscript was done by Evan A. Hart and Elizabeth Hart Bennett and is owned by Anthony Wise of "Historyland," Hayward, Wisconsin. Photocopies of the original and the translation can be found in the archives of the Mackinac Island State Park Commission office in Lansing, Michigan. The account book was started by Jean-Baptiste Cadotte and passed into the hands of his son Michel, who took over the trading post and the business at La Pointe, Wisconsin. In turn it became the property of George Warren, Michel's grandson, around 1848. Warren presented the account book to Rev. Dr. Goldsmith, of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Eventually the tattered but intact document was sent to Notre Dame archives. The transcription that follows is based on a xerox copy of a photograph of the vital data page. This photograph is in the possession of the Baylis Public Library, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan (Scrapbooks and Scrapbook Mater ial, one box, folder no. 4, Cadotte Family, Genealogy Papers). Unfortun ately the xerox copy is not as clear as either the original or the photo graph of it. The page of interest comes at the beginning of the account book, which is unnumbered. Most of it is in French, except for the very last comment about Michel's tombstone. His grave and marker can still be found on Madeline Island, Wisconsin. Michel did not record the date or place of his marriage, nor have I been able to uncove it. Although he carefully notes the dates of births, he does not mention the place. But it is reasonably safe to assume that most of the births took place at La Pointe or Sault Ste. Marie. Note that most of the handwriting in French seems to be done by the same person and is reasonably crisp. Perhaps Jean-Baptiste Cadotte's efforts to have his sons trained in the Seminary at Montreal paid off in clearer records. FCHSM member John P. DuLong i.e; a resident o.f Royal Oak~ Mi. -45- I have tried to preserve the spelling and punctuation idiosyncrasy in the translation of this page of vital data. My comments have been placed in square brackets. Finally, please bear with me on this translation--this is my first real attempt to deal publicly with my lack of skill in the tongue of my ancestors. The text of the vital data page follows: The 6 of September in 1787 was born Michel Cadotte The 15 of December in 1788 was born Margueritte Cadotte The 17 of December in 1790 was born Jn-Bte Cadotte The 2 February 1794 /This note is off to the side:7 Was killed was born Augustin Cadotte by a musket shot on Friday the 19th of August in the morning the year 1803. The 12 of May 1796 was born Etienne Cadotte The 19 of July 1798 was born Julie Cadotte The 14 Sept. 1800 /Another side note:/ D:i.ed the 22 July 1843 was born Marie Cadotte at the River Seaulte[-?_7 The 18 of April 1803 was born Antoine Cadotte Sunday the 28 July 1805 between the ten and eleven hour in the evening was born Charlotte Cadotte 15 September was born Joseph Cadotte--1807 /-Handwriting now changes and the text is in English~/ At the old Catholic burying ground /-Final side note is in French at LaPointe, Wis and marked by a and is written lengthwise on neat White stone. May be found the page in the lower right the grave of corner :7 "M. Cadotte" Jullie Cadotte 1826 who departed this life July 8th 10 February died 1815(?) 1837--aged-72- -46-